What is this 6-day itinerary?
Six days is the Hadrian's Wall Path at the pace the trail body gives an experienced walker. Once Brewed to Gilsland stays a day of its own, so Housesteads and Windshields are not rushed into the finish. The choice this plan makes is Gilsland to Carlisle in one walk, on the buried Wall and the River Eden, and that walk is the long day.
Read the Hadrian's Wall Path guide for the whole trail.
Will this 6-day split work for you?
- Experienced walkers. The trail body says allow 6 or 7 days, and this is the 6.
- People happy to walk from Gilsland to Carlisle in one day, on the gentler ground after the crags.
- A first long trail fits the 7-day better, because that plan keeps a night in Brampton.
Fitness & effort
You should already be happy on long days. The switchback between Chollerford and Gilsland is split, then the next day runs on to Carlisle over gentler ground, ditch and fields rather than crags. Navigation is the acorn posts. Carry a map, and expect weak phone signal on the central section. The Solway on the last morning can flood, so the demand is the pair of days through Gilsland, and a tide check after them.
Your 6-day route on the map
Guidebook direction
Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway in 6 days
East to west, Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway, the way the official guidebook is written. On-trail distances from our geometry. The walk from the path to the door is not included.
| Day | Stage | Distance | Overnight / destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Wallsend → Heddon-on-the-Wall | 14.7 mi (23.6 km) | Heddon Lodge |
| Day 2 | Heddon-on-the-Wall → Chollerford | 16.4 mi (26.4 km) | George Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 3 | Chollerford → Once Brewed | 12.0 mi (19.3 km) | Vallum Lodge Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 4 | Once Brewed → Gilsland | 8.6 mi (13.8 km) | Dacre House (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 5 Longest | Gilsland → Carlisle | 18.3 mi (29.5 km) | Carlisle Station Hotel | Sure Collection by Best Western (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 6 | Carlisle → Bowness-on-Solway | 15.5 mi (24.9 km) | Hadrian's Wall Path Finish |
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Day 1
Wallsend to Heddon-on-the-Wall
14.7 mi (23.6 km) ↑ 290 m (950 ft) ↓ 230 m (750 ft)
Segedunum, then pavement along the Tyne: the quayside, the Baltic, the bridges, and the ribs of old coal boats in the mud if the tide is out. George Stephenson's cottage sits half a mile off the Wylam Waggonway. Heddon is where the city stops. The paved start is the same length as on the longer plans. The day this plan leaves whole comes after the crags.
Example stay Heddon Lodge
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Day 2
Heddon-on-the-Wall to Chollerford
16.4 mi (26.4 km) ↑ 440 m (1,450 ft) ↓ 460 m (1,500 ft)
The Military Road, General Wade's 18th century road, with Hadrian's Wall under the tarmac. Field edges, little climb, the ditch on the north side and a low ridge in the fields to the south. Traffic is the company. On this plan it is a steady day before the crags. Chesters is at Chollerford, and the ground lifts after it.
Example stay George Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 3
Chollerford to Once Brewed
12.0 mi (19.3 km) ↑ 650 m (2,150 ft) ↓ 460 m (1,500 ft)
Higher pasture after Chesters, the Vallum and the north ditch easy to see, then the switchback. It is tougher than it looks and a bright day has little shade, so leave time for Housesteads on the escarpment. The beds are in Once Brewed. Steel Rigg, just on, is a car park. Stay there. Windshields is a day of its own tomorrow, which is what keeps six days honest.
Example stay Vallum Lodge Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 4
Once Brewed to Gilsland
8.6 mi (13.8 km) ↑ 430 m (1,400 ft) ↓ 560 m (1,850 ft)
Windshields Crags, 1,131 ft (345 m), is the high point, and Walltown on a clear day shows Scotland, the Pennines and the Solway. Greenhead has the food. More of the Wall is standing than on the road. Sleep at Gilsland. The morning after does not turn off for Brampton. It stays on the path all the way to Carlisle, so eat well and treat this as the eve of the long day.
Example stay Dacre House (opens in a new tab)
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Day 5 Longest
Gilsland to Carlisle
18.3 mi (29.5 km) ↑ 370 m (1,200 ft) ↓ 470 m (1,550 ft)
Birdoswald comes just west of Gilsland, and Hare Hill is the last standing piece of Wall when you walk west. After that the line is a ditch and a ridge, the gradients ease, a little woodland appears, and the Eden leads into Carlisle. This is the day the 7-day plan breaks at Brampton. Here you stay with it. The villages in between are small, so carry food from Gilsland and expect a long afternoon.
Example stay Carlisle Station Hotel | Sure Collection by Best Western (opens in a new tab)
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Day 6
Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway
15.5 mi (24.9 km) ↑ 200 m (650 ft) ↓ 200 m (650 ft)
Flat miles on the Eden and then the Solway marshes, Scotland across the water, best taken slowly. You reach them the morning after the long day, so the tide matters more, not less. Dykesfield to Drumburgh floods, and so does Port Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway, when the Silloth tide is 9 metres or more. Stay clear for an hour either side. The King's Arms has the last passport stamp.
Finish Hadrian's Wall Path Finish
Cross-check: National Trails route description . The walking on this page follows that description. Distances on the cards are measured on our line.
Weather behind you
Bowness-on-Solway to Wallsend in 6 days
Same nights, starting at Bowness-on-Solway. The weather usually sits behind you, and the crags face the other way. The last walking day ends at Wallsend.
| Day | Stage | Distance | Overnight / destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Bowness-on-Solway → Carlisle | 15.5 mi (24.9 km) | Carlisle Station Hotel | Sure Collection by Best Western (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 2 Longest | Carlisle → Gilsland | 18.3 mi (29.5 km) | Dacre House (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 3 | Gilsland → Once Brewed | 8.6 mi (13.8 km) | Vallum Lodge Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 4 | Once Brewed → Chollerford | 12.0 mi (19.3 km) | George Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 5 | Chollerford → Heddon-on-the-Wall | 16.4 mi (26.4 km) | Heddon Lodge |
| Day 6 | Heddon-on-the-Wall → Wallsend | 14.7 mi (23.6 km) | Wallsend |
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Day 1
Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle
15.5 mi (24.9 km) ↑ 200 m (650 ft) ↓ 200 m (650 ft)
Check the tide before you leave Bowness. The path through Port Carlisle, and the marshes back toward Drumburgh, can flood on a high tide. Then the flat estuary, Scotland behind you, and the Eden into Carlisle. Little climb. The city is where the buried Wall takes over from the shore.
Example stay Carlisle Station Hotel | Sure Collection by Best Western (opens in a new tab)
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Day 2 Longest
Carlisle to Gilsland
18.3 mi (29.5 km) ↑ 470 m (1,550 ft) ↓ 370 m (1,200 ft)
The Eden takes you out of Carlisle, then field paths and the buried Wall, with a little woodland. Hare Hill and Birdoswald come at the end, so the last standing stones and the fort close the day. The crags start once you are through Gilsland. The walking stays gentle until then.
Example stay Dacre House (opens in a new tab)
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Day 3
Gilsland to Once Brewed
8.6 mi (13.8 km) ↑ 560 m (1,850 ft) ↓ 430 m (1,400 ft)
Walltown's view comes first on a clear day: Scotland, the Pennines, and the Solway. Then the pull up to Windshields, so the highest point is at the end of the day. Once Brewed is the hamlet by Steel Rigg. Keep something in the legs for that last climb.
Example stay Vallum Lodge Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 4
Once Brewed to Chollerford
12.0 mi (19.3 km) ↑ 460 m (1,500 ft) ↓ 650 m (2,150 ft)
The switchback and Housesteads come first, the short climbs now falling toward Chesters. The pasture eases, and the Vallum stays easy to see. A bright day is still exposed. Chesters is the fort where this high ground runs out.
Example stay George Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 5
Chollerford to Heddon-on-the-Wall
16.4 mi (26.4 km) ↑ 460 m (1,500 ft) ↓ 440 m (1,450 ft)
Chesters is behind you as you turn onto the Military Road. The Wall stays under the tarmac, so follow the ditch on the north side and the ridge in the fields. Farm edges, few climbs, and the road never quite leaves you. Heddon is the last village before the path drops into Newcastle.
Example stay Heddon Lodge
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Day 6
Heddon-on-the-Wall to Wallsend
14.7 mi (23.6 km) ↑ 230 m (750 ft) ↓ 290 m (950 ft)
The Wylam Waggonway comes first, with George Stephenson's cottage half a mile off, and then the path turns to pavement. Newcastle arrives as the quayside, the bridges, and the Baltic. The day ends at Segedunum. If the tide is out, the ribs of the old coal boats are in the Tyne mud.
Finish Wallsend
6-day itinerary FAQ
Is six days the official pace?
The trail body says an experienced walker should allow 6 or 7 days, with extra time for the Roman sites. Six is that experienced pace. Seven is the same walk with a night in Brampton, so Gilsland to Carlisle is no longer one day.
How hard is Gilsland to Carlisle?
Long, and easier underfoot than the crags. Birdoswald and Hare Hill come first, then the buried Wall, a little woodland and the Eden into the city. The 7-day plan splits it at Brampton. This plan does not, so start fed and keep the afternoon free.
Does the last day flood?
It can. Between Dykesfield and Drumburgh, and between Port Carlisle and Bowness-on-Solway, a Silloth tide of 9 metres or more covers the path. Allow an hour either side, and check before you leave Carlisle.
Can I download a GPX for the 6-day Hadrian's Wall Path?
Yes. Open this itinerary in the planner (free, no account). Download a full-route GPX or per-day files for Garmin, Komoot, or your phone. You can export the preset unchanged or edit overnight stops first.
Personalise this itinerary
This 6-day itinerary is ready as it stands. Open it in the planner to keep these stops, or change where you sleep, then download the GPX for your watch or phone.
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